An alleged hijack threat written on a note found inside an Air India aircraft at Calcutta airport delayed a Mumbai-bound flight by seven hours on Wednesday, after security personnel offloaded all 105 passengers and searched the Airbus A320.
The passenger accused of writing the note was identified as a 57-year-old man travelling on Air India flight AI 2772. Police sources said he told investigators that he was physically and mentally exhausted, frustrated and angry about having to travel abroad for work while his wife, who has cancer, remained at home. The man, a cancer survivor himself, was granted bail by a court on Thursday, according to the sources.
The passenger was scheduled to travel onwards to Mozambique via Mumbai. The aircraft was taxiing for take-off at 10.37am when a member of the cabin crew found a handwritten message in capital letters inside the washroom. The note threatened to hijack the aircraft at 11.11am, prompting the pilot to move it to an isolation bay.
After the note was discovered, all passengers were taken off the aircraft and the plane was searched. Personnel from the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security took over the screening process, while police and security personnel questioned passengers, the pilot, cabin crew and ground staff who had handled the aircraft.
Investigators collected handwriting samples from all 105 passengers, as well as from the pilot, cabin crew members and ground personnel. Police subsequently identified the 57-year-old as the person who had written the note. An officer said the passenger confessed to writing it.
Police sources said the man described the incident as an act of momentary anger and frustration and expressed regret. One police officer said he had a diploma in engineering and worked as a consultant on oil pipeline projects, taking contractual assignments with different companies. The officer said the man had told investigators that his wife was suffering from cancer and that he was reluctant to travel.
Another officer said the passenger had told police that he was tired of travelling abroad and had to take several medicines, making it difficult for him to remain away from home for long periods.
The aircraft eventually departed from Calcutta at 5.38pm, around seven hours after the scheduled security disruption began. Police had sought judicial custody, but the court granted the passenger bail, the sources said.
